Hamilton College Admission Journals: Bonnie Wertheim

Sophomore Year Roundup

Wed, 09 May 2012 20:41:02 GMT

I’m finishing up my final paper for Anglo-American Modernism right now. My thesis asks how two models of femininity—Mrs. Dalloway and Lily Briscoe—both serve to represent the idea of the New Woman. It seems only right that I began and concluded this year thinking in Woolfian terms; Mrs. Dalloway served as one bookend for my sophomore experience, To The Lighthouse as the other.

I’ve learned a lot as a sophomore, in my classes as well as through extracurricular pursuits. Here are just a few of the myriad lessons:

1. Hamilton ties are strong: At a small college like this one, it isn’t entirely surprising that the alumni network is tight-knit. I’ve been hearing this since I was a freshman, but it wasn’t until this year that I began to connect with some of the outstanding graduates this school has produced. I’ve met and spoken to so many incredible people who genuinely support my passion for writing. Through a chain of alumni connections, I even managed to land a job as a journalist for a startup called The Leapyear Project. I’m excited to someday pay it forward by helping Hamilton students like myself expand their horizons.

2. Skipping breakfast is not an option: Once you join what I like to call the Breakfast Club, you never leave. Breakfast is, in my opinion, the most essential and consistently delicious meal that the dining halls serve. There’s something at breakfast for everyone, whether you’re an eggs-and-toast kind of guy, a bagel buff, a muffin (wo)man or a cereal craver. I’m a morning person, for sure, but that’s only because I fuel up early.

3. Twitter isn’t useless: On the contrary, it’s really useful! I’m addicted to updating my timeline and keeping up with the latest news via Twitter. I also found the job posting for my summer internship through a tweet (literally). Use it, folks, if you don’t already. You won’t regret it.

4. Espresso is kind of expensive, but it totally boosts productivity: I’ve never been much of a coffee drinker. A tea devotee, I always prided myself on having abstained from the bean through high school and my first year of college. But this year, there came to be a point when black tea just wasn’t enough caffeine for me anymore. I’m still not into straight coffee, but I love a good dirty chai—a chai latte with an espresso shot added.

5. Late nights lead to serious bonding sessions: As an editor at The Spectator, I’m accustomed to staying up late at least one night every week. Some people would bemoan this responsibility, but I embrace the wee hours of the evening as opportunities to get to know my peers a little better. To all my Spec staff members: Thanks for being so pleasant and interesting at 2 a.m. (CAITLIN, THIS IS YOUR SHOUTOUT)

How to Deal (With Finals Week)

Sun, 06 May 2012 01:53:02 GMT

1. Sleep—This definitely isn’t the first time you’ve heard how important sleep is for your functionality/health/life/etc., and it won’t be the last, either. On a good night’s sleep, you’ll be super-productive, and your product will be of significantly higher quality than it would have been if you’d put it together on little or no rest.

2. Go to the gym—When stress starts to hit hard, I take a walk over to the fitness center and spend half an hour to an hour on the elliptical. Working out not only makes me feel awesome—it successfully takes my mind off academics. Running or taking a walk in the Glen would likely have the same effect, but everyone has his/her de-stressor of choice. Find your elliptical workout and do it. Tonight when I was at the gym, I experienced a serious fringe benefit: watching the sunset from the giant glass windows the look out onto the athletic fields.

3. Procrastinate a little—You find the best websites and Internet memes when you’re supposed to be doing real work. Take advantage of finals week as an opportunity to peruse the Web. One of my best friends showed me this gem today: http://www.youtube.com/user/HowToBasic

4. End the semester strong—Give your exams all you’ve got. They’re your last chance to make an impression, to show your professors what you’ve learned this semester. Study hard—but not too hard—and bring your best self to each test.

THINGS

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:13:04 GMT

1. I got a summer internship, guys!!! I’ll be working for The Creators Project’s NYC office in Williamsburg. The Creators Project is celebration of artists who innovatively incorporate new technology into their work, spearheaded by Intel and VICE media. My responsibilities will include pitching, writing and editing blog posts for the website, which I’m ridiculously excited about.

2. Something else that’s cool: I’m getting funding for it! Every year, the Career Center coordinates alumni donations to cover transportation, food and even housing expenses for students who secure summer internships and demonstrate need. My train costs for the summer will be covered, thank goodness.

3. I’m also officially studying at the University of Edinburgh for the Fall 2012 semester! I was accepted a little over a week ago, and I’ve been slowly but surely filling out all of the (annoying) paperwork.

Right now, things are going really well. Here’s hoping the trend continues through finals week!

FORTY-THREE NORTH

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 03:31:55 GMT

One of my closest friends at Hamilton, Kina Viola, and I recently finished up an exciting and very stressful project. FORTY-THREE NORTH, which you might call our baby, is the College’s new critical journal in the humanities and the ats, and today, it went to print.

FORTY-THREE NORTH was born out of Hamilton’s Department of Comparative Literature—students, faculty and friends of which believed the College was missing this kind of publication. We have weeklies in The Spectator and, more recently, The Topical; a biannual literary magazine in Red Weather; a seasonal student interest magazine in The Continental; humor publications in The Duel Observer and The Wag; student expression and discourse in The Green Apple; and, of course, The Daily Bull, which resists categorization entirely. But Hamilton demonstrated a lack of, and a need for, a publication run by students, for students, that would publish their academic papers. A good grade might be validation enough for some, but others write to communicate—for their work to be seen.

The first time I ever saw my writing in print form was when I interned at my local paper, The Item of Millburn and Short Hills, in the summer of 2009. I wrote feature stories for The Item based on the summer internship experiences of other students my age. The internship earned me my first clips, and it also revealed my passions for interviewing people and telling their stories.

Though I believe my craft and skill have definitely improved since my junior year of high school, I still place tremendous value on the lessons I learned during my time at The Item and am thankful for the opportunity the paper granted me to publish my work. Seeing my writing in print, in The Item and in forms that have followed, has changed the way I’ve thought about communication indefinitely.

Be sure to grab a copy of FORTY-THREE NORTH when it hits campus on Class and Charter Day.

Why I Write

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:03:25 GMT

Some students choose their courses of study because they believe they will be lucrative. Some do not choose at all; instead, they allow others—their parents, guardians and advisors—to direct their paths. Still others, aware of their abilities and their interests, make the natural choice to follow their passions. I fall into the first camp. An English and psychology double major, I certainly didn’t think my areas of concentration promised any sort of security when I declared in February. In fact, I am confident that nothing will be secure about my future. I selected these areas of study because they directly reflect two sides of my personality. Some might even say that my majors chose me.

I have always been a writer. Though my earliest pieces of prose likely lacked the depth of those I now compose, it was clear from a young age that I was meant to be an English major. Because I was a quiet kid, writing provided a way for me to communicate my ideas covertly—without sacrificing any of the confidence and persuasiveness that oral presentation asserts. I still believe that my best self comes through in my writing.

I’m also a total bookworm; I relish my alone time and get lost in storylines with ease. But reading and writing are not enough to satisfy me, at least not fully. My pychology-driven side yearns for interpersonal interaction. I love talking to people and listening to others speak on most any topic.

My English and psychology sides cooperate most harmoniously in my journalistic work. Interviewing allows me to engage with and learn about people, while composing articles from shorthand notes tests my ability to create clear and cohesive narratives. I write to marry my majors. I write to integrate my selves.